Alvarez to fight in January

Published on: 31st October, 2008

Alvarez looks to get his next big break elsewhere  | read this item

Alvarez looks to get his next big break elsewhere

Eddie Alvarez who was already a good fighter at Lightweight made a name for himself in the 155 pound weight class after his impressive performances at the Dream Lightweight Grand Prix earlier this year and defeating top quality Lightweight fighters in Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen and Tatsuya Kawajiri. Since coming back to the U.S. Alvarez was given a title shot to face Nick Diaz at an EliteXC November event, but due to the promotion’s collapse Alvarez will not get that opportunity, but in turn has been down this road before.

In a new interview with Sherdog.com,Alvarez talks about his disappointment on the cancellation on the title bout and the fall of EliteXC and Pro Elite.

“It just sucks,” said Alvarez. “It happens to companies like this a lot. I think if this was the first time I’d been through this, I’d be more shaken. I was with Bodog Fight when they went under about this time last year. I just have to keep my head up, keep training and fight whenever I can. I can’t get down.”

Alvarez was contacted by Head of Fighter Operations Jeremy Lappen and was told about theshocking bad news after putting in lots of training for the fight.

“I was called by Jeremy (Lappen, Head of Fight Operations) and he told me things weren’t going to continue as planned,” he said. “I was bummed. I was a month to five weeks into my training camp and to not fight after putting so much into my training was tough.”

Now with EliteXC out of the picture, Alvarez will now draw his attention to his next possible fight, but also expresses that he still wants to fight the best competition possible. Could another fight with Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen be on the horizon.

“Fighting Joachim Hansen isn’t a bad idea,” said Alvarez. “I don’t have anybody particular in mind for who I’d like to fight, though. I just want to continue fighting good guys and move up. I want to fight anyone who’s world-class and who’s a good fight and a good matchup.”

However, Alvarez wants to make a name for himself in the United States the same way he has made a name for himself in Japan.

“I want to be as well known in the U.S. as I am in Japan,” he said.

His next possible fight could come as soon as January as he is still under contract with 3 other promotions which include Dream, Adrenaline MMA and Extreme Challenge according to his agent Monte Cox.

“Eddie’s contract with Pro Elite was also a contract with Adrenaline and Extreme Challenge, and also a contract with Dream,” Cox told Sherdog.com. “That contract allowed him to fight in any of those places. (Pro Elite) only owned a piece of Eddie. I put in his contract that he would fight in EliteXC and then Extreme Challenge, Adrenaline, or Dream. We were alternating. The deal also says if one of the organizations doesn’t schedule a fight or is unable to put on a fight, they lose a turn.”

There is also the chance that other big promotions could be knocking on Alvarez door maybe with a possibility of him landing with the UFC where the competition is the toughest and at it’s peak.

“The UFC is always an option, but the catch is that we have to make a deal that both sides are happy with,” said Alvarez. “The UFC has a lot of good fighters and they might not need a fighter like me. I get paid well for somebody who’s not in the UFC and I want to continue to make a good living at it. I have two kids and a family, so it’s important to be able to put food on the table and make sure they’re comfortable. Right now, it’s about making money and being the best fighter in my weight class.”

At one point in time, Alvarez tried out for a spot on The Ultimate Fighter season 2 cast and although he was not given a spot on the show UFC President Dana White was so impressed with Alvarez that he offered him a contract to go straight to the Octagon to fight, but both sides could not come to terms on a deal.

But with being a winner in 5 straight fights with 2 wins over top ten competition ranking him nearly at the top of the weight class, Alvarez feels confident that a big pay day will come to him soon.

“I’m a free agent right now and it’s a good time to be ranked in the top five in the world,” said Alvarez. “I’m sure there will be plenty of companies who want to contact me and Monte has been talking to some people. Plus, I still have my contracts with Dream and Adrenaline, so I do have something to fall back on.”

Alvarez will eventually get picked up by another organization and he will also be the face of that organization that signs him. He is still only 23 years young and has a lot of years of MMA experience to encounter and go through.

 Nelson Rodriguez AKA: Nelo2.0 is the Co - Owner of URDirt.com who is also an Editor and Author on the site. Read more from this author

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